CSX to help fund Baltimore wall repair

CSX Transportation reportedy has agreed to pay up to $10 million to the city of Baltimore for costs related to rebuilding the 26th Street wall that collapsed last spring, spilling automobiles and a portion of the road onto CSX's own right-of-way below.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed between the city and CSX late Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, says CSX will contribute "up to 50% or $10 million to the costs of the repairs," and also agrees that CSX will share "the costs of any and all third-party lawsuits relating to the event."

The retaining wall collapsed on April 30 following heavy rainfall. But nearby residents assert that the Class I railroad and the city earlier had been warned of cracks in the structure, roughly a century old.

Local media report restoration of 26th Street has cost less than expected, while a temporary wall is in place as a more permanent replacement is constructed.